Planoqraph co



L. A. WHITE.

CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.I8. I914.

1,31 1,784. Patented July 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

3 IH lllllllllllllllllllll III? w ,ZZuzLZ/Kh' THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D c.

I L. A. WHITE.

7 CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-'18. 1914.

1,311,784. Patented July 29, 1919.

- 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANDQRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON. D. c

being removed to show t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ALFREP WHITE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CONTROLLER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS A. WHITE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Controllers, of which the following 'is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to controllers, more specifically to electrical controllers and has for its object the provision of a device of this character which will be capable of a wide variety of uses as will appeal to persons skilledin the various arts to which the invention relates, I having conceived the improvements as suitable for service in connection with the control of valves, that is,

the opening and closing thereof, the control of speed changing mechanism, and the control of steering rudders on ships, etc.

The invention in its broad aspects embraces the combination of regulating mechanism, setting mechanism, and actuating mechanism, the regulator being designed to set up motion in the various parts to obtain the actuation desired, as determined by the adjustment thereof; the setting mechanism being designed to insure the actuation in a forward or retrograde manner, as also determined by the position of the controlling mechanism, and the actuating mechanism being designed to shift the part or parts to be affected by the controller.

The parts referred to include many improved features in detail of construction and association of parts, as will be understood from the specific description hereinafter contained, when read in connection.

with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and wherein the preferred embodiment of said invention is illustrated, for the purpose of facilitating a disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view, parts being shown in elevation;

Fig. 2. is a side view, a art of the casing e devices on the interior thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view;

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken atright angles to Fig. 3, and,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view enabling the following of the circuits of operation Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 18, 1914. Serial No.

Patented July 29, 1919.

through the combination constituted by the regular setting and actuating mechanisms.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, whereln like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views, A represents the regulating mechanism, B the setting 1nechanism,and C the actuating mechanism. I will refer to the reverse setting mechanism first, so that the purpose of the combination may more readily appear, and be kept in mind, during the later consideration of the actual cooperation of elements to accomplish such purposes. D represents a fixed frame or support constituting ,a part of the structure adapted to be controlled and upon which the setting and actuating mechanisms are adapted to be rigidly supported soas to couple by a flexible cable, represented at E to the regulating mechanism, which may either be mounted upon some supporting structure or may be of a relatively portable type to be held in the hand of the operator and to be carried and manipulated by the operator while permitting freedom of movement of the latter from place to place within the limits circumscribed by the length of the cable E, which, of course would be advantageous in connection with the operation of a boat rudder, speed control of mechanical piano players or similar instruments, and in other cases as may hereafter appear. F indicates a rack bar to be moved back and forth by a pinion Gr, said rack bar F being intended to be secured to the part to be ultimately affected by the controller, for example, the end of the bar may be connected to a small friction disk adapted to be shifted over the face of a larger disk, as is frequently encountered in speed control devices, or which may be connected to a valve adapted to be opened and closed to different extents to control pneumatic motors; or it may be connected with a crank or offset arm on a pivoted rudder, all of which will be obvious to persons of mechanical skill, and need not be specially shown herein, in view of the fact that myinvention has especial reference to the controller per 86.

The mechanism employed by me is intended to secure the different extents of movementof the rack bar F, in either a forward or reverse direction, as might be in keeping with the desire of the operator, and

H is a rotatable shaft mounted in suitable bearings h of the framework D ,,-such shaft carrying at a point approximately centrally thereof, and in the space between the standards h,'a' plate armature I fixed to rotionrof'the ratchet wheel K or L, and to tate with the shaft H;

On opposite sides of the armature I and separated therefrom to normally leave substantial spaces therebetween, as shown, I

mount upon the shaft'H-a pair of magnets J, each magnethaving' attachedto the :outer face thereof (which is the face opposite to that-adjacent to the armature I) ratchet V wheels K and L, the teeth of which are disposed in opposite-directions. The magnets J are loosely mounted "upon the shaft H, so that they cannot rotate with the latter until one or the other of the magnets is ener-gized' and attracts the armature I,'*the latter being 'spl'i ned' upon'the shaf-t H, as at '2', to permit a slight slidin'g'inovenient,

when the rotation of the energized mag-net will, throughthe medi-uni offthe armature,

turn the shaft H .andfpinion in a forward or' reversedirection, dependent upon the w particular magnet energized at thetime in question, the ratchetwheel K being intended V to operate its magnet in a forward direction and the ratchet -wheel L to operate itsihagnet ina reverse direction. fTh-e armature is V roughened on its-opposltefaces and the ad furnished, as will be obvious, to p'lacethe parts in the position to be actuated either in jacent faces of the-magnets are cor-respondingly rou' ghened to obtain anji nterlocking of these faces when the armature is attracted by either of the magnets soas to "insure proper rotation of the shaft and the part to be moved thereby.

The setting mechanism thus far defined is theforward or reverse direction to which I have alluded, and after such setting-the ac tuation or rotation of the means referred to isobtained as follows: A"pfai r' of "pawis M pivoted at m to a bar at" constitutes means for turning the ratchet wheels, one ofthese pawls being mounted beneath the ratchet wheel K, and the other above the ratchet wheel I1, and beingheld inengagement with their respective'teeth by a spring at backing- "up the pawls as'illustrated, resilient metallic dogs m 'holdin'g the paw-ls againstreverse n'rovcments, so that the turning ofonera'tchet Wheel and its magnet will have no infiuence on, or "be impeded by, the other ratchet Wheel and its magnet. The bars m are mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in-bearings d of the framework 1), and the reciprocation of the bars to effect the actua- "tion offthe ratchet wheels by their respective pawls is obtained bymeans of apair of i solenoid magnets N, each furnished with an armature Ov secured to its bar m" and adapted to be attracted as the respective magnets are energized, as will be readily appreciated, being thrust in the opposite directlon by spr Of course, the extent of movement imarted to the rack bar F under the influence of the pinion G is dependentupon the rota sonance with'the corresponding successive separate energiza'tions of the magnet. To

secure the desired number of movements of the pawl, the magnets are energized by means, of the regulating mechanism c o'nst'ie tuting the portion A of my apparatus; it

being understood, as will more fully herein' after appear, that only one of the magnets N is operated at a' iventime. V 1 Referring now to the regnlatin'g mechanism, P represents a suitable supporting base on which is an insulated housing p, the base being adapted to be secured-in place by means of the apertured flanges 11, or remain unattached for retention in the hands of the operator, asmay be found; expedient, or in keeping with the whim or desire of-the user. On the base and rotatably mounted in the housing is a shaft 9 supporting a commutator divided peripherally, into a plurality of exposed contact segments 9 of copper by insulating in'serts' g operatively associatedwith'a spring pressed commutator brush R mounted on the base P maintaining aconstant surface contact with decommtator, oneend of the connnutatorshaft'being provided with a pinion S'constantly intermeshing with a regulator rac k s, the latterpassing through the ends of the casing 79 and beingadapted to be moved back and forth by the finger of the operator to turn the pinion and commutator, jsuitable indi cator "characters being employed if desired to assist. in the movement of the rack to the extent desired; "Against one face of the commutator (the face'opposite to that adjoining which thepinion S is mounted) a friction disk T, loosely mounted upon the shaft q, is pressed by an adjustable spring t, the pressure of which is adjusted by a nut 23" on a complementary threadedportion of the shaft 9, and the face of thedisk T being surfaced with leather I or equivalent material 7 point or brush a normally-thrust toward the disk by a springV, the" contact point-or brush a belllg arranged to engage either of adapted to engage a commutator ring 6 on the corresponding contact plates W, W upon the turning of the disk in the directions indicated by the full and dotted arrows. The end of the switch carrier member U also operates as a contact closure to alternately press the spring contact members X, X into engagement with the opposite ends of a common contact device Y.

Wor W will'be electrically engaged. Then by reason of the stoppa e of the disk by the shoulder referred-to, t 'e commutator may continue its rotation independently of the friction disk to alternately close and break the circuit throughthe medium of its exposed peripheral portions and the commutator brush R.

Z is a battery for furnishing the source of power for operating the setting and actuating mechanisms, the opposite leads from the battery being indicated by the numerals l and 2. The former leads to the brush R and branches at 3 to connect with the contact member Y, which when closed, as shown, permits the current to flow through the switch contact X and wire 4 to a brush 5 one of the magnets J. From the magnet the current flows through the shaft H and wire 2 back to' the battery. This circuit is indicated by the full line, single arrows in the diagram, and results in the energization of the magnet J to draw the armature I thereagainst, and thereby couple the shaft H and magnet to rotate together. At the same time the circuit is completed along the line indicated'by the full line double arrows through the wire 1 and branch 7 to the brush R through the commutator Q, wire 8 (Fig. 3)

leading from thelatter to the shaft 9, and wire 9 (Fig. 5) electrically connecting the shaft with the spring actuated contact V w, (Figs. 4, 5,) from which the current flows through the contact plate W and. wire 10 leading therefrom to-one of the magnets N, and from the magnet through the wire 11 back to the battery, thus effecting the energization of the magnet N, resulting in the attraction of its armature O and the actuation of the ratchet wheel K by the movement of the pawl M.

fThemovement of the contact carrier U to the position indicated in dotted lines closes the contact member Y and X together,

under which conditions the. current will follow thecircuit indicated by the single dotted tion.

line arrows to energize the opposite magnet J and set the setting mechanism in its reverse position, at the same time causing the current to travel the line of the dotted double line arrows to energize the other magnet N and effect actuation of the ratchet wheel L to rotate the'shaft H in the reverse direc- The wiring between the regulating mechanism A and the setting and actuating mechanisms designated respectively B and C are in practice incorporated in a cable E of any length desired so that, as previously stated, the regulatingmechanism may be removably mounted in place through the medium of its base so as to constitutea permanent fixture,

- or may be a portable element, as particularly shown here, adapted to be held in the hand of the operator occupying any convenient place within the region determined by the length of the cable.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the operation of my improved apparatu will be clean-but it is perhaps well to observe that the finger rack bar 8 being pushed in either one or the other direction will correspondingly rotate the pinion S of the regulating mechanism, which in turn will partially revolve the'coinmutator Q and frictiondisk T to effect a closing of the circuit by engagementof the contact device Y with the approprlate spring contact X or X, which as before set forth, will energize the corresponding magnet J and attract the armature I to set the mechanism B to rotate the pinion G either forwardly or backwardly as the case may be. The operation just set forth also through the medium of the spring contact at in engagement with the contact plate W or W, closes the circuit of one of the magnets N retracting the armature thereof and effecting the turning of the v correspondingratchet wheel K or L. The

further rotation of the commutator Q, is independent of the friction disk, the movement of the latter having been stopped by the shoulder portion w, and such further move ment of the commutator is intended to de termine the number of actuations of the magnet N to correspondingly effect the move ment of the rack bar F, as desired, the operation being rapidly repeated so long as the regulating finger rack bar 8 is moved to successively make and break the current through the medium of thecommntator Q and the contact R. v

A reverse movement of the finger rack bar will initially move the contact carrier contact plate W which. as hereinbefore brought out, will bring into play the other magnets J and N, and permit the reverse movement of the opposite ratchet (that shown being the ratchet wheel L) so that the rack bar Will be moved in the direction opposite to its first mentioned movement.

As stated in the fore part of this specifis cation, the field of: service of a controller such as I have disclosed is a Wide one, and its usefulness will appear in many cases where an electric controller may be advantageouslyemployed, it simply being borne in mind that the rack bar F moves the immediately controlled device,as a' rudder,

valve, gear changer, etc. .etc.,in-a forward direction When the setting mechanism'is n one position, and in .a backward direction when the setting mechanism occupies its alternate position.

While I have herein disclosed one special embodiment of my invention, it is to be un- 'derstood that the invention-is suceptibile of embodiment in many other forms and'devices, and that changes and-substitution of 1 parts, and combinations thereof as herein outlined may be made, as will be in keeping with the hereto appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim? I 1. A controller'of the character described comprising controlled reversible setting means, similar controlled actuating mecha nism, and means for closing the circuits leading to the setting .and actuating mechanisms comprising a rotatable commutator and actuating parts operating in opposite "directions, in combination with separate magnet controlled devices for operating said actuating parts, and regulating means for the various magnets comprising a shiftable contact carrier adapted to close a circuit through one pair of magnets and having a projecting part adapted to close the.

circuit through the other pair of magnets, substantially as and for the. purpose described. 1

3. A controller of the character described comprising setting mechanism including separate magnets operatively associated with a driven member, and regulating means for the various magnets: and for effecting successive energizations of the operating magnets for the actuating parts comprising a commutator and .a contact shifter fric- V tionally carried therebypermitting. the commutator to continue its movement when the contact shifter is engaged with a stop therefor. a a

. 4:. A controller of the character described comprislng setting mechanism including separate; magnets :operatively associated with a driven member, and regulating means for the various magnets and for-effecting successive energizations of the operating magnets for the actuating parts comprising a rotatable commutator and a contact shift-er fricti'ona lly' carried thereby permitting the commutator to. continue its rotation when the contact shifter is engaged with a stop therefor; 1

.5. A'controller of the character described comprising setting mechanism including separate magnets operatively associated With a driven member, regulating means for thevario'us magnets and for effecting successive energ zati'ons' of the operatingjmagnets for the actuating parts comprising a commutator and a contact shifter frictionally carried thereby permitting the commutatorto continue its movement when the contact shifter is engaged with 'a'suitable stop cooperating therewith, and .a manually actuabledevice for moving the commutator.

-6. Ina' controller of the character described, reversible setting mechanism, actuating mechanism, and means for initially operating the setting mechanism and for subsequently operating the actuating mechanism, said last mentioned means including regulating mechanismadapted on its initial movement to carry a contact closing device for operating the setting mechanism and in its subsequent movement to operate the actuating mechanism.

7. In a controller of the character described, setting mechanism, actuating mechanism, and means for initially operating the setting mechanism and for subsequently opcrating the actuating mechanism, said last mentioned means including regulating mechanism adapted in its initial movement to carry a contact closing device and in its subsequent movement tobe released from said closing device, said regulating mechanism including a commutator and coacting brush, and a circuit closer associated With the commutator and brush adapted in the initial relative movement thereof to be shifted thereby, but permitting continuous relative movement independently of the contact closer, substantially as described.

8. In a controller ofthe character described, setting mechanism, actuating mechanism, andmeans for initially operating the setting mechanism and for subsequently operating the actuating 'mechanism,-said last mentioned means including reg'ulatingmech 'anism adapted in its -i'n'ltial movement to carry a contact closing device and in its subsequent movement to be released from said closing device, said regulating mechanism including a commutator and coacting brush, and a circuit closer associated with the commutator and brush adapted in the initial relative movement thereof to be shifted thereby, but permitting continuous relative movement independently of the contact closer, in combination with manually 10 actuable means for securing the relative movement of the commutator and its brush. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftWo Witnesses. LOUIS ALFRED WHITE. Witnesses:

GARLETON SMITH BURTON, CHARLES FLETCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

